Sembcorp Marine scored a $806.4m contract to design and construct a new drillship for Sete Brasil, Seatrade Asia online reports. This is the seventh unit of a series of drillships that Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine has secured since February this year. All seven drillships will be built based on Jurong Espadon design, the proprietary of Jurong Shipyard, wholly-owned by Sembcorp Marine. The seventh drillship unit is scheduled for delivery no later than the third quarter of 2016. The DP3 capable drillship will be able to operate at 10,000 feet water depth and drill to depths of 40,000 feet with accommodation facilities for a crew of 180 personnel.

As Bloomberg reports, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd., Japan’s third-biggest shipping line, delayed plans to expand its commodity-vessel fleet as a global glut saps cargo rates. “We’re slowing our expansion,” Toshiyuki Suzuki, a managing executive officer, said in an interview in Tokyo yesterday. The company will shed 24 commodity ships in the year starting April 1 to offset new vessels, rather than using incoming ships for growth, he said. More at www.businessweek....

Taipei: Both Taiwan’s CSBC and Nantong Cosco KHI Ship Engineering have submitted bids for Yang Ming’s tender for ten 14,000 teu ships. They are joined by Hyundai, Samsung and Daewoo from Korea and Imabari in Japan. At current prices the ships are thought to cost in the region of $110m per unit. Yang Ming is likely to copy compatriot Evergreen’s lead by getting a partner onboard to order the ships, which Yang Ming will then charter for an estimated $50,000 a day. Canada's Seaspan, Korea Infrastructure Investments Asset Management Co and Greece's Niki Group have all expressed an interest in the project. With newbuild prices expected to start ticking up Yang Ming may make its decision on expansion before year-end. [26/11/12]

Veteran shipbuilder Martin Saarikangas is confident that Royal Caribbean's third Oasis-class ship will be built at STX's Turku shipyard despite recent reports of an impasse between Royal Caribbean and the Finnish government in regard to financing the project. The newspaper Turun Sanomat reported on Friday that the Finnish government's economic policy rejected a proposal for funding. Royal Caribbean is said not to have given up, but is still searching for a financial solution. Royal Caribbean announced in October that it was pursuing the possibility of ordering a third Oasis-class ship.

Despite lower levels of profitability in the industry, A.P. Moeller-Maersk (Maersk) is "not going to give up on [its] position as the leading shipping company in the world," CEO Nils S. Andersen has told CNN. Andersen said the company, which has announced plans to invest a larger portion of its capital in its oil, drilling, and terminals businesses, needs to build "other strong legs" in the face of a weak shipping market. "Shipping is not the most profitable of the sectors we are in," he said. Read more at shipandbunker.com...

The addition of Dockwise's activities to the Boskalis group will provide an extensive package of services for clients in the oil and gas sector. Boskalis has invited the Dockwise Board of Directors to discuss the intended offered acqusition which features: • Intended all-cash offer of EUR 17.20 per share for all issued and outstanding shares of Dockwise for a total consideration of EUR 682 million • The combination broadens Boskalis' maritime services offering for the offshore energy market • Combination of Boskalis and Dockwise provides new strategic opportunities for accelerated growth of the offshore services • Acquisition results in strong EBITDA increase and will be earnings per share accretive The new combination will be in a better position to serve clients with the optimal deployment of people and equipment under increasingly complex circumstances worldwide. Combining the vessels of Dockwise with the project management expertise and engineering know-how of Boskalis will also enable a fast track implementation of the strategic ambition to execute Transport & Installation (T&I) projects.

Two big cruise ships visit Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven AG in the coming days and weeks to be spruced up for the 2013 cruise season. The ships are the MS "Braemar" and the MS "Balmoral", belonging to new customer Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. Another first was the docking at Lloyd Werft of the 196 m long, 24,344 gt MS "Braemar and the acquisition of her owner Fred Olsen Cruise Lines as a new customer. The ship was docked up to November 21st for extensive maintenance and repair including the complete overhaul of her stabilisers and the removal of both rudders. The funnel deck on the cruise ship, built in Valencia in 1993, was also being doubled in size. Work was carried out on the ship’s piping system and steel works were also undertaken.

Maersk Tankers exits its Handygas segment by selling all 11 vessels to Navigator Gas. The divestment allows Maersk Tankers to focus on fewer segments and releases capital for future investments. Hanne B. Sørensen, CEO Maersk Tankers: "Navigator Gas presented us with a great business proposition that supports our aim to simplify and release capital for future investments. Navigator Gas is an experienced and well-renowned player and I am confident that they will deliver the same first-rate service to our customers as we have." David J Butters, Chairman, President and CEO of Navigator: "We are pleased to be able to acquire Maersk Tankers modern fleet of handy sized vessels and based on our shared views of maintaining the highest operating standards, we are certain that we can continue to deliver excellent service to all stakeholders within our industry."

Danish oil and shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk will not invest significantly in its shipping business over the next five years and will focus on its oil, drilling rigs and ports, the Financial Times reported today. “We will move away from the shipping side of things and go towards the higher profit generators and more stable businesses,” Maersk chief executive Nils Andersen told the newspaper. “What we are going to do over the next five years, we are not going to invest significant amounts in Maersk Line. “We have sufficient capacity to grow in line with the market.”

Jack up drilling rig 1 unit ordered by Maersk Drilling at Keppel FELS (SPORE). Price $650mil. Dely 1/2015 (CustoNSC CJ170 design. Three now ordered. Option one more. Four year charter to Statoil to work the Dagny field in the Norwegian North Sea)